Arkansas Alumni Association Announces Non-Traditional Student Leadership Award Winners

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Zach Henderson of Fayetteville and Hanna Cline of Kingston are the recipients of the Arkansas Alumni Association’s Non-Traditional Student Leadership Award for 2013. Partnering with Off Campus Connections, the award recognizes non-traditional undergraduate students who must demonstrate academic excellence while balancing and engaging life circumstances and issues. Each recipient received a $500 check and a commemorative clock during the Student Leader Awards Event in April.

“We are extremely grateful to the Arkansas Alumni Association for helping to make this unique award more distinguished and desired,” said Susan Stiers, associate director of Off Campus Connections. “This partnership is one of the easiest and certainly one of the most enjoyable collaborations our area has ever experienced. We are given the opportunity to work with wonderful people who understand and appreciate the efforts made on the behalf of our non-traditional students.”

Zach Henderson of Fayetteville is one of two recipients of the 2013 Non-Traditional Student Leadership Award.

Henderson, who received a bachelor’s degree in English on May 11, has experienced many struggles in his 24 years. Because of family circumstances, he left high school at age 15, completed his degree through a mail correspondence program and worked full-time. Since then, he has worked a full-time job and maintained a full class schedule without a car for up to two years at a time, he said.

Although he doesn’t have much free time because of work and school, Henderson makes time to volunteer with the Fayetteville Public Library, Head Start and serves as the vice president and volunteer coordinator of the University of Arkansas’ English Honors Society.

“I was struck by his enthusiasm and spirit for helping others as reflected by his participation in so many volunteer opportunities. He is also unwavering in his commitment to excellence, even when his life was impacted by difficulties that might've swayed other students to simply give up,” Stiers said.

Henderson plans to spend two years teaching in Texas public schools. While teaching, he plans to initiate a nonprofit model that will “reach a need for after-school literacy programs for middle-schoolers in underprivileged districts,” he said. Once he has completed his two years in the public school system, he plans to attend a writing program and law program with a goal of working “closely with civil liberties groups, with a focus on women’s and minority liberties.”

Hanna Cline of Kingston is one of two recipients of the 2013 Non-Traditional Student Leadership Award.

Cline, a pre-veterinarian major, is a single mother and sole provider for her 1-year-old daughter. She devotes her time to maintaining the family farm, works as a director on a cemetery board association and is an ambassador for the Kingston Future Farmers of America in the Madison County Cattlemen’s Association. Cline works 20 hours per week between her two jobs, but still manages to drive three hours round trip to attend classes each day.

“What I loved about Hanna’s journey is that she’s tying her degree to her life and her community so she can improve both, and setting a great example of leadership overall,” Stiers added.

Cline, who just completed her freshman year, hopes to be accepted into veterinary school and earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, saying, “I eventually want to open a practice in my hometown or work in a clinic near it.” Passionate about animals, Cline adds, “I want to enlarge my farm and raise show animals for my daughter. I hope having a career as a veterinarian will help me help my community and improve the lives of my daughter and myself.”

Jeremy Youmans, fiscal support analyst for the university’s treasurer’s office and a selection committee member, said, “Both of them scored very highly with me because they have triumphed through incredible adversity. If I remember correctly, Hanna travels extreme distances to go to school and helps with her family farm while raising a child and does all of this within a 24-hour span … and Zachary has developed his knowledge better than anyone else that was in the group. He has had near perfect grades. He gives 110 percent at all times, and I could not see him being denied.”

Stiers hopes to bring more exposure to this group of students in the future. “It is my hope that this partnership (between Off Campus Connections and the Arkansas Alumni Association) continues to allow both of our areas to acknowledge the efforts and accomplishments of non-traditional students on the University of Arkansas campus. It is an untapped and under-recognized population with so much potential.”